Fabric-folding machine



Dec. 20, 1927. 1,653Z149;

J. COOK ET AL FABRIC FOLDING MACHINE Filed May 10. 1927 mmvn'in WITNESS Jamestook fa MM Y B RY Wu ATTORNEY;

Patented Dec. 20, 1927.

' umT D STATES] JAMES 0001:, or ironoxus, ,ANn r'nitcir cooihr' nntawnitnn, new jimsnir.

- Application men ma This invention relates to machines for creasing, folding, doubling or i performing other substantially similar operations on fabrics or other flexible sheets while advancb'ing'the same edgewise, and particularlyfto that class ofsuclimachines in which some instrumental ity' received in a lengthwise doubling formed in the; sheet serves to define the fold as the sheet 'prc'jgresses; The object 10 ofthe invention is] toc'onstructja machine of thislcharacter, in which the "direction of the, line 'of' fold m be controlled, especially with a view to ;preven ting its failure to run a 7 true; in the example herein shown and described the controlis automatically eflected. The invention consists in the combination, with supporting meansand nieanstherein coactingto keep the sheet taut whilebeing advanced, one of whichcoacting'means acts to maintain the sheet spread 'to substantially' its initial widthan'd the other of which acts to maintain the sheet doubled with the apex of the doubling projectingfrom a planefcm incident with the Ispreadportibn of'the sheet, of 'a"fol'd-formingmembel'5 acting'in effect like and which we therefore herein term a rudder, re'v'oluble the supporting means back and forthon an axis pene'trating' said plane. and having guiding contact with the sheetwithin" its doubledportion. "j' ffIn the drawing," 1 1 Fig. 1 is a sideelevation ofja'machineembodying the inventiongand 'Fig. 2 "s a diagrammatic .plan, showing r the mentioned c oacting 7 means fand' fold forming member and c'ertain' automatic means for controlling the latter. f I The first mentioned of "the aforesaid coacting means includes, with a guide 1-,'I'as" a roller, a series of-bars 2 around which zigzag'fashionthe sheet A extends from a table 3 "011 which it'ispiled in folds as shown in Fig. 1; or instead of the bars there may be a suitably journaled beam 4 on which a'roll of the sheet is mounted; In each instance a drag is imposed on the sheet, so that it is tautened when pulled upon and thereby ad'- vanced', and the guide 1 serves to maintain the sheet spread to its initial width. There may be a roller 5 around which the sheet .extends and which thereby augments the tension in either case, and for sufiiciently augmenting the tension in the second case there may be a guide bar 6 over which the sheet extends in a bend. The guide 1 may be arranged at' difierent elevations in an inclined set of bearings 7 in them'ain frame 8.

The other of said coacting means here includesa pair of 'members'preferably in the form of bars 9. *These are here parallel to:

each otherand stand in 'theexample ver tically, being suitabl mounted in the frame 8forward of the guide '1. Said'means also here includes rotary means 10 to wind up the folded sheet, such being arranged rela'-' tively forw'ardof the bars '9 and herehav mg its axis of rotation vertical. That one" ofsaid coacting means which is now being described obviously acts to maintain-the sheet doubled. Itis notmaterial that this scribed it is only materiahin the broad aspect of the invention,'that it maintain a doubling in the sheet with the apex of'the doubling projecting from the plane which,

means embody the elements shown and deas at 'guide 1, is coincidentwith the aforesaid spread portion of thesheet. Means 10 here com rises a head-stock 11 anda tailstock' 12 ournaled in the 1 frame, of slate 13 on which the boltjBof the sheet is wound-up, at their lowerends in the'head-stoc-k and deta'chably interlocked at their upper ends in someway with'the tail-stock so as to permit their being swung outward on their pivots and a pair a thesebeing preferably pivoted clear of the tail-stock in removing the wound bolt. 'The head-stOck is preferably powerdriven from=afmotor 16 through the beltand-pulley system 17 shown;

The fold-forming member or-rudder, ac-

cording to this invention, projects into the channel formed in the sheet by the doubling and in guiding contact-with the sheetand is capable of oscillationon an axis penetrating theplane ofjthe saidspreadportion of the sheet. The j purpose of its oscillatory motion is to utilize it, while" itis forming the fold, in controlling the direction of the line of fold. In the present example this fold- V forming member comprises a forked post or standard 18 journaled on a vertical axis in bearings 19 in the frame over the channel in the sheet and a wheel 20 journaled on a horizontal axis in the fork (at the lower end) of the post. When this member is turned on its vertical axis one way or the other to an oblique position the fold-forming portion proper will, as an incident of the advance of the sheet, cause the latter to shaft relatively laterally in a direction opposite to that in which, the leading edge of said fold-forming portion proper is thus displaced, being the result of said portion seeking to follow a path along the surface of the sheet which is correspondingly oblique. e find the desired action in this way is best attained if the said portion of the fold-forming member takes theform of a rotary traction device or wheel, as 20, which then on account of its engaging the sheet by a rolling as distinguishedfrom slid,- ing contact eliminates considerable vslippage of the fabric with respect to it and makes the fold-forming member act more efficiently in itsfunction as a guide or director for a the sheet.

Of course the turning of the fold-forming member or rudder can be controlled in any way so as to guide or direct the sheet and hence the line of fold. But we prefer to control said member automatically, as by the means shown diagrammatically in Fig,

core, which is connected pivotally to an arm 26 projecting laterally from the fold-forming member. When the sheet shifts laterally one way or the other out of its predetermined course its then (laterally) leading edge by pressure on one of the circuit closers in the adjoining pair' forces it against the other and by closing the circuit and energizing the corresponding solenoid effects a compensatory turning of said member.

If different widths of sheets have to be fi treatedin the same machine there should be provision for changing theposition of either the guide 1 or the fold-forming member v-ertically one relatively to the other. This is afforded in the present instance by the inclined set of bearings 7 for the guide.

The term ffolding as herein used contemplates any condition of the sheet in Having thus fully described ouriinvention, what we claim is:

1. A machine for folding a flexible sheet while advancing the sheet edgewise. includ-, ing, with supporting meansand coacting means therein for maintaining the sheet taut while, being advanced, one of said coaoting means acting to maintain the sheet spread to substantially its initial width and the other acting tomaintain the with the apex of the doubling projectin from a plane coincident with the sprea portion of the sheet, a fold-forming rudder revoluble in the supporting means back and forth on an axis penetrating said plane and having guiding contact with the sheet within its doubled portion.

2. A machine for folding a flexible sheet while advancing the sheet edgewise including, with supporting means and: coacting means therein for maintaining the sheet taut while being advanced, one of said coacting means acting to maintain the sheet spread to substantially its initial width and the other acting to maintain the sheet doubled with the apex of the doubling projectin from a plane coincident with the sprea portion of the sheet, a fold-forming rudder including a support revoluble in the supporting means back and forth on an axis penetrating said plane and a wheel revoluble in the support on an axis transverse of the rst-named axis and having rolling guidin contact with the sheet within its double portion. r a I In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures. v V

JAMES oooK. PERCY COOK.

sheet doubled 

